Andrej Belocvetov (Czech, 1923-1997) 

Andrej Bělocvětov was a Czech painter and graphic artist. In 1933 he enrolled at the Russian gymnasium in Prague, where he was taught painting by Grigory Musatov - a Russian emigré artist who lived and worked in Prague. Bělocvětov continued pursuing art in his further education at the Graphic School in Prague. In 1941 Andrej Bělocvětov made the acquaintance of Czech photographer Josef Sudek. The two became lifelong friends and Sudek was one of the first patrons to begin collecting Bělocvětov's paintings. In 1943 Bělocvětov joined the Umělecká Beseda (Artist's Forum), a multidisciplinary group connecting important Czech figures across literature, music, science, and art. He participated in the annual exhibitions of the group in the years 1943 to 1948.

After the war, Andrej Bělocvětov is accepted to the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague without any prior exams. He only stays at the academy for one year, realising that further education will not benefit his artistic direction. From the late 1940s and into the early 1950s he explores magical realism and surrealism, painting large scale neoclassical canvases and cubist portraits. During the late 1950s and 1960s, his work is strongly influenced by Jackson Pollock as Bělocvětov is fascinated by gestural/action painting and abstract expressionism. In the 1970s, Bělocvětov dedicates his creative process to the postmodern synthesis of previous artistic styles. The 1980s are a period when Andrej Bělocvětov’s physical and mental health rapidly deteriorates, consequently, his creative life is put on hold for most of the decade. However, in the late 1980s and 1990s, he returns to painting with new energy. The last years of Andrej Bělocvětov’s life are characterised by a fundamental redevelopment of the artist's style which stands in contrast to the abstract expressionism of the previous decades. His works are poetic and lyrical, composed of stylised shapes and vibrant colours, often dynamic and playful. The development of Andrej Bělocvětov's style throughout his long creative life proves him an artist dedicated to constant experimentation and an important figure in Czech 20th-century art and culture.

Organising personal exhibitions proved very difficult for Andrej Bělocvětov under the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia. His artistic style was not supported by the authorities and Bělocvětov's political and social views were not aligned with the government's policies. Banned from personal exhibitions, Andrej Bělocvětov was still able to join artists' groups and was a member of Máj 57 (May 57) and the chair of Žižkovská avantgarda (The Žižkov Avantgarde) in the post-war period.